The Strawberry Pie Incident
by Schattenjagd
Summary: "Legolas! Answer me!" His Ada demanded and tears welled up in Legolas' blue eyes when he looked up. It wasn't fair! And it was only a tiny bit of strawberry pie! If he were the Crown Prince, he would have been allowed to eat the pie! Legolas made a decision: "It's me, Ada, Alcanor. I did not eat the pie! And why do you call me Legolas?" - fluff - Characters: Thranduil, Legolas


**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkien's work and just borrowed some of the professor's characters, but they belong to him. The plot, however, as well as Legolas' siblings, are mine.**

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"Legolas?" Thranduil repeated sharply.

Legolas squirmed under his father's cold gaze. He looked to the floor, his toes attempting to dig into the wood. He had known he wasn't allowed to eat that strawberry pie before dinner but it had just looked so delicious!

"Legolas! Answer me!" His Ada demanded and tears welled up in Legolas blue eyes when he looked up. His tiny body was shaking and his Ada suddenly seemed very scary. It wasn't fair! His siblings always got to do whatever they wanted but he wasn't allowed to! And it was only a tiny bit of strawberry pie! Why was it that they were allowed and he wasn't? It just wasn't fair!

The little child did not see how his father's eyes softened marginally.

Legolas made a decision. If he were the Crown Prince, he would have been allowed to eat the pie!

The little prince straightened, his hands behind his back.

"It's me, Ada, Alcanor. I did not eat the pie! And why do you call me Legolas?" The elfling questioned daringly. His childish mind did not consider that there was no way in hell that any elf - let alone their father! – would mistake the small scrawny child with skinned knees for the tall handsome young warrior and healer Crown Prince Alcanor had become.

Thranduil's face remained stoically calm. For one moment, he seemed to think before he replied to Legolas' daring move.

"Forgive me, Alcanor. Of course it is you. For one moment I mistook you for your brother." Thranduil's voice remained utterly calm and cold and distanced as ever. Legolas smiled a toothy smile up to his Ada.

"But where is your crown, Alcanor?" Thranduil questioned hardly.

"Ugh… I …" Legolas stammered, his eyes suddenly wide as he looked around.

"Have you forgotten it?" Thranduil offered an excuse.

"Yes!" Legolas happily replied. "Yes, I forgot it, sorry Ada."

The king nodded and carefully took his own crown from his head.

"Do you wish to borrow mine for the meeting, Alcanor?"

Wide-eyed, Legolas stared at his Ada, nodding eagerly. Thranduil bowed down and gently placed the thorn and leaf circlet on Legolas' blond hair. Small fingers reached up to feel it.

"Will you accompany me to the meeting today, Crown Prince?" The older elf asked, still with no hint of sarcasm heard in his voice. Again, Legolas grinned toothily as he nodded.

Thranduil whirled around and marched down the corridor, even though he kept his steps slow enough for Legolas' small legs to be able to follow.

Holding his Ada's crown on his head with one hand, Legolas ran after his father. Once he was next to the tall imposing figure, Legolas grabbed his Ada's hand. Thranduil flinched and looked down at the child. A slight, rare smile tugged at the king's lips.

Together they entered the meeting room. Two dwarves jumped to their feet as they entered. Legolas stopped dead in his track. Never before had he seen a dwarf and they were really scary! They had hair all over their face and they were really small and ugly and they were fat too!

Thranduil stopped as well, still holding his child's hand. The dwarves had entered the outskirts of his woods a few weeks ago. Thranduil had had them brought to him and thrown into his dungeon for two months. He did not appreciate trespassing. Just yesterday had he let them out and spoken to them for the first time. His oldest son, Alcanor, had been with him and had led most of the conversation.

Seeing as Legolas would not move, Thranduil bowed down and picked him up, holding the small body tightly against his thin frame. He felt love blossom in his heart as he watched how Legolas' awkwardly held his too big crown in place with one hand, his eyes still wide and scared.

"Ada, why are they so fat and hairy?" Legolas whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Luckily enough, the dwarves did not speak elvish, however, one of the guards seemed to struggle keeping a straight face behind his helmet and Thranduil sent him a glare.

"Because they are dwarves," Thranduil replied, settling Legolas in a high chair, preferring to stand himself.

"This is my son, Crown Prince Alcanor," Thranduil introduced Legolas to the dwarves, keeping the little charade up his son had come up with. He saw the utter confusion in the dwarves as they exchanged a bewildered look between them. Having met the real Crown Prince Alcanor just yesterday, it was obvious that this little child was not him.

Legolas, even though not having understood the language, still had heard his brother's name and grinned widely.

The rest of the day passed eventless. Legolas was quiet and only watched the proceedings wide-eyed, his hand clutching the crown most of the time. Thranduil almost forgot that his son was there at all.

In the evening, Legolas sat next to his Ada on the table, radiating happiness.

His siblings came in for dinner. They all smiled upon seeing Legolas sitting next to his aloof and cold father with the well-known circlet balancing hazardously on top of the small head. Alcanor was last to walk in, his nose buried in some papers.

"Careful!" Thranduil snapped at him as the Crown Prince was about to take his usual seat. Alcanor looked up and a confused look crossed his face before he smiled down at Legolas.

"Hey Tithen-las," he said gently.

"Really, can you not see, this is not Tithen-las, this is Alcanor," Thranduil said coldly.

"Ugh … I … beg your pardon?" Alcanor asked.

"Eloquent as ever. Take you seat," Thranduil said and gestured to Legolas' unoccupied chair. The oldest Thranduillion followed the instruction, leaning over the Daeros to whisper with him, obviously addled.

There was strawberry pie for dessert, however, there were only seven instead of eight pieces on the plate. Meaning one member of the Royal Family would have to go without dessert. Guiltily, Legolas looked down upon the strawberry pie on his plate and then he looked over to Alcanor, whose plate remained empty.

"Adaaaa?" Legolas drawled.

"What is it, Alcanor?"

"Ada, it is me, Legolas. I am not Al. I am sorry Ada. I ate the strawberry pie this afternoon and I did not want you to be angry at me so I said I was Al! I am sorry Ada. I am so sorry! Alcanor can have my pie, I already had mine." Legolas seemed positively downtrodden. Meanwhile, his siblings finally began to understand why Thranduil pretended Legolas was Alcanor.

"Give your plate to your brother, Legolas!" Thranduil demanded coldly.

Legolas' little hands were shaking when he pushed the plate over, and he looked up at his Ada with wide eyes. The crown on his head fell, and Thranduil quickly caught it. Legolas was about to burst into tears, then suddenly Thranduil returned the circlet to his golden head. The king then proceeded to take his own plate with dessert and put it in front of Legolas. Legolas stared at his Ada with large, hopeful eyes.

"Eat up, Tithen-las," Thranduil said and gently brushed over his son's cheek.

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